The present invention relates to an image sensing apparatus or an optical apparatus which enables to input a high quality image, by slightly changing the optical angle of a plane-parallel-plate glass or mirror provided in the optical path of an image sensing system.
Recently, as considerable progress has been made in image input apparatuses e.g., video cameras, scanners and the like, there are increasing demands for higher image quality and higher resolution in these apparatuses. However, increasing the number of pixels in an image sensing apparatus raises many problems, e.g., problems related to performance such as deteriorated sensitivity or reduced S/N ratio, high cost in manufacturing due to reduced yield, increased price in quartz crystal or low-pass filter or the like for preventing false signals or the like.
To cope with such problems, so-called xe2x80x9cpixel-shiftingxe2x80x9d is known as a technique to achieve high quality and high resolution in an image sensing apparatus, without increasing the number of pixels of the image sensing device. Pixel-shifting enables to obtain a high-quality image substantially equivalent to a case of using an image sensing device having increased number of pixels. This is realized by providing a reflection mirror in the optical path within the optical relaying space between lenses and image sensing device and changing the reflection angle, or providing a plane parallel plate made of light-transmitting glass in the optical path and changing the angle of light incident upon the light-transmitting glass or the optical path length of the glass by making use of light refraction, or by slightly vibrating the image sensing device, thereby making it possible to guide optical image data, which was normally received by a light-insensitive zone between photoreceptive portions of the image sensing device, to the photosensitive portion and sequentially obtain the optical image data.
According to the pixel-shifting technique, a high quality image sensing can be performed without increasing the number of pixels of the image sensing device. Therefore, it is an extremely useful technique to realize higher resolution in image input apparatuses.
Examples of pixel-shifting utilizing the aforementioned principle are found in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-15378 where a plane parallel plate is rotated on an axis parallel to pixel array, or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-1218160 where a plane parallel plate surface is inclined and shifted in the optical-axis direction, or Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 6-8937 where X and Y axes are provided and an inclination of plane parallel plate surface is changed by driving a cam with a motor.
However, the above-described conventional mechanism, utilizing a plane-parallel-plate glass, employs a motor as a driving source to change the optical position, and adopts a complicated and expensive mechanism, e.g., position control by cam. Because of this, it is difficult to ensure precision in positioning the plane-parallel-plate glass, and difficult to increase the driving speed.
Moreover, in addition to the necessity of a motor, a cam and a mechanism for transferring driving force of the motor, these mechanisms must be provided for horizontal and vertical directions. Naturally, the size of apparatus increases, and it becomes difficult to place the image-sensing apparatus in the space between lenses and image sensing device.
The present invention is made to solve the foregoing problems and has as its object to provide an image sensing apparatus or an optical apparatus comprising pixel-shifting system capable of high-speed driving in a simple structure.
In order to solve the above-described problems and attain the objects, the present invention provides an image sensing apparatus comprising: image sensing means for photoelectrically converting an optical image formed on an image sensing surface and outputting a sensed image signal; an optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface of said image sensing means; a plurality of regulating members, abutting against a plurality of ends of said optical device, for regulating a position of each of the ends in respective optical axis directions, thereby controlling a first inclination angle of said optical device in a first direction with respect to an optical axis of said optical device and a second inclination angle of said optical device in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction; and optical device shifting means for shifting said optical device in order to have each of the plurality of ends of said optical device abut against each of said plurality of regulating members and holding each of the ends, wherein the incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface is shifted in vertical direction of the image sensing surface by changing the first inclination angle of said optical device, and the incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface is shifted in horizontal direction of the image sensing surface by changing the second inclination angle of said optical device.
According to the image sensing apparatus having the above construction, the optical device shifts an incident position incident upon an image sensing surface. An inclination position of both ends of the optical device with respect to the optical axis direction is regulated by a plurality of regulating members. Each of the regulating members abuts against each end of the optical device, thus making it possible to control the inclination position of the optical device in a plurality of directions. In other words, by having a simple structure where the optical device simply abuts against the regulating member, pixel-shifting operation can be performed at high precision.
According to an aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the optical device is a plane parallel plate provided on an optical path of the image sensing means. When an inclination angle of said plane parallel plate with respect to the optical axis of said plane parallel plate is defined by said regulating members, the incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface is shifted by an amount corresponding to the defined inclination angle.
It is preferable that each of the regulating members comprises regulating surfaces. Therefore, according to an aspect of the present invention, each of said regulating members comprises respective regulating surfaces, regulating surfaces provided for each of the ends of said optical device being formed at positions different from each other with respect to the front and back of the optical axis direction. The optical device can be controlled in a plurality of inclination angles by changing a combination of an end of said optical device and the regulating surface being abutted thereto.
Furthermore, according to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device has a shift range defined by a regulating surface, the shift range including a first shift range with respect to the optical axis direction of said optical device at one end of said optical device and a second shift range with respect to the optical axis direction of said optical device at the other end of said optical device, the first and second shift ranges having 1:1 relationship so that the inclination angle of said optical device can be equally divided between a maximum inclination position and a minimum inclination position.
Note that the end of the optical device and regulating surface contact each other by a line or point. Therefore, according to an aspect of the present invention, the first and second ends of said optical device, each of which abuts against a regulating surface of a regulating member, respectively include engaging portions each contacting the regulating surface of the corresponding regulating member by a line or point.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the engaging portion is a cylindrical member linearly contacting the regulating surface. By virtue of the contacting surface being a cylindrical shape, the image sensing apparatus is not influenced by an inclination angle no matter how the engaging portion linearly contacts the surface.
It is preferable that the optical device shifting means comprises a plurality of electromagnets provided for each regulating surface. According to an aspect of the present invention, an inclination angle of said optical device is changed by controlling turning on/off each of the electromagnets by said optical device shifting means and determining a regulating surface to which said optical device abuts.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device shifting means includes: a resilient member for urging said optical device to the direction substantially parallel to the optical axis direction; and an electromagnet for urging said optical device to a direction opposite to said urging direction against said resilient member.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device is supported while having gaps formed by the regulating surfaces of said plurality of regulating members, and an inclination angle of said optical device is determined and maintained by abutting each of the ends of said optical device against an opposing regulating surface.
According to an aspect of the present invention, shifting said optical device in the first direction enables to shift the incident light in three positions on the image sensing surface in the vertical direction, and at a predetermined position of the three positions, said optical device can shift the incident light in three positions in the horizontal direction.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device comprises: a vertical optical device for mainly shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface in the vertical direction on the image sensing surface; and a horizontal optical device for mainly shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface in the horizontal direction on the image sensing surface, wherein said vertical optical device includes one to three inclination angle positions in the horizontal direction at an inclination angle position in a vertical direction, and said horizontal optical device includes one to three inclination angle positions in the vertical direction at an inclination angle position in the horizontal direction.
The above-described problem can also be solved by an optical apparatus comprising: an optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon an image sensing surface; a plurality of regulating members, abutting against a plurality of ends of said optical device, for regulating a position of each of the ends in respective optical axis directions, thereby controlling a first inclination angle of said optical device in a first direction with respect to an optical axis of said optical device and a second inclination angle of said optical device in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction; and optical device shifting means for shifting said optical device in order to have each of the plurality of ends of said optical device abut against each of said plurality of regulating members and holding each of the ends.
According to the above optical apparatus, the inclination of optical device can be controlled in a plurality of angles by changing the combination of the regulating surfaces to which the end portions of the optical device is abutted. Therefore, pixel-shifting operation can be performed with an extremely simple structure, at high speed and high precision. In addition, the inclination angle can be controlled in the first and second directions with respect to the optical device. Thus, high-speed pixel-shifting can be performed in both vertical and horizontal directions on the image sensing surface.
Moreover, one end of the optical device and the other end of the optical device have the same range of movement, allowed by the regulating surface, with respect to the optical-axis direction. Therefore, the inclination angle of the optical device can be controlled in three stages with respect to the vertical or horizontal direction. For instance, a plane parallel plate provided primarily to perform pixel-shifting in the vertical (horizontal) direction can be utilized for pixel-shifting in the horizontal (vertical) direction. Thus, for one vertical (or horizontal) position of the plate, pixel-shifting steps twice as many pixel-shifting steps as in the horizontal (or vertical) direction are attained. Vice versa, a plane parallel plate provided primarily to perform pixel-shifting in the horizontal direction can be utilized for pixel-shifting in the vertical direction. Thus, for one horizontal position of the plate, pixel-shifting steps twice as many pixel-shifting steps as in the vertical direction are attained.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface is shifted in vertical direction of the image sensing surface by changing the first inclination angle of said optical device, and the incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface is shifted in horizontal direction of the image sensing surface by changing the second inclination angle of said optical device.
According to an aspect of the present invention, each of said plurality of regulating members is provided such that a permitted shift amount of said optical device at one of the ends of said optical device is set same as a permitted shift amount of said optical device at the other end of said optical device.
According to an aspect of the present invention, each of said regulating members comprises a plurality of regulating surfaces for regulating a shift position of two ends of said optical device on the front and back of the optical axis direction, the regulating surfaces in one end and the other end being formed at substantially the same position with respect to the optical axis direction, and said optical device can be controlled in a plurality of inclination angles by changing a combination of the regulating surfaces to which the ends of said optical device are abutted.
According to an aspect of the present invention, when an inclination angle of said plane parallel plate with respect to the optical axis of said plane parallel plate is defined by said regulating members, the incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface is shifted by an amount corresponding to the defined inclination angle.
According to an aspect of the present invention, first and second ends of said optical device, each of which abuts against a regulating surface of a regulating member, respectively include engaging portions each contacting the regulating surface of the corresponding regulating member by a line or point.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the engaging portion is a cylindrical member linearly contacting the regulating surface.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device shifting means comprises a plurality of electromagnets which pull the plane parallel plate forward and backward of the optical axis direction.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the plurality of electromagnets are provided for each of the regulating surfaces, and are constructed such that controlling turning on/off each of the electromagnets enables to change a regulating surface to which said optical device abuts.
According to an aspect of the present invention, shifting said optical device in the first direction enables to shift the incident light in three positions on the image sensing surface in the vertical direction, and at a predetermined position of the three positions, said optical device can shift the incident light in three positions in the horizontal direction.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device comprises: a vertical optical device for mainly shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface in the vertical direction on the image sensing surface; and a horizontal optical device for mainly shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface in the horizontal direction on the image sensing surface, wherein said vertical optical device includes one to three inclination angle positions in the horizontal direction at an inclination angle position in a vertical direction, and said horizontal optical device includes one to three inclination angle positions in the vertical direction at an inclination angle position in the horizontal direction.
The above-described problem can also be solved by an optical apparatus comprising: an optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon an image sensing surface; a plurality of recesses for supporting said optical device while leaving at least a predetermined shift range in an optical axis direction of said optical device, by having a plurality of ends of said optical device respectively inserted with a play; a plurality of regulating surfaces, formed respectively in said plurality of recesses and abutting against the plurality of ends of said optical device respectively, for regulating a position of each of the ends in respective optical axis directions, thereby controlling a first inclination angle of said optical device in a first direction with respect to the optical axis of said optical device and a second inclination angle of said optical device in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction; and driving means for driving the ends of said optical device so that the ends abut against respective regulating surfaces in each of said recesses, wherein the incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface is shifted in vertical direction of the image sensing surface by changing the first inclination angle of said optical device with respect to the first direction, and the incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface is shifted in horizontal direction of the image sensing surface by changing the second inclination angle of said optical device with respect to the second direction.
According to the optical apparatus having the above construction, driving means is constructed by a plurality of electromagnets which drive the plane parallel plate forward or backward with respect to the optical-axis direction, and the regulating surface against which the optical device abuts is changed by controlling the turning ON/OFF the electromagnets. By virtue of this, pixel-shifting is realized at high speed and high precision with a simple structure.
It is preferable to regulate the end of the optical device by a recess portion. According to an aspect of the present invention, a length of recess for one end of said optical device with respect to the optical axis direction is set substantially the same as a length of recess for the other end of said optical device with respect to the optical axis direction, thereby enabling to substantially equalize a shift amount of one of said optical device at one end with a shift amount at the other end.
According to an aspect of the present invention, each of said regulating surfaces comprises a plurality of regulating surfaces for regulating a shift position of two ends of said optical device on the front and back of the optical axis direction, the regulating surfaces in one end and the other end being formed at substantially the same position with respect to the optical axis direction, and said optical device can be controlled in a plurality of inclination angles by changing a combination of the regulating surfaces to which the ends of said optical device are abutted.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device is a plane parallel plate, and said optical device shifting means comprises a plurality of electromagnets for driving the plane parallel plate in the optical axis direction.
According to an aspect of the present invention, wherein the plurality of electromagnets are provided in two positions, having different optical axis directions, in the neighborhood of a recess, and the plurality of electromagnets are constructed such that controlling turning on/off each of the electromagnets enables to change a regulating surface to which said optical device abuts.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device comprises: a vertical plane parallel plate for mainly shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface in the vertical direction on the image sensing surface; and a horizontal plane parallel plate for mainly shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface in the horizontal direction on the image sensing surface, wherein said vertical plane parallel plate includes one to three inclination angle positions in the horizontal direction at an inclination angle position in a vertical direction, and said horizontal plane parallel plate includes one to three inclination angle positions in the vertical direction at an inclination angle position in the horizontal direction.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said plurality of regulating members are arranged such that the ends of said optical device respectively abut against the regulating members in a plurality of abutting manners, said optical device shifting means shifts and holds said optical device so as to determine one of the abutting manners, and determining an arbitrary abutting manner sets at least one of the first inclination angle or the second inclination angle in a desired value.
The number of regulating members need not be the same for all the ends of the optical device. Therefore, the present invention provides an optical apparatus comprising: an optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon an image sensing surface; a plurality of regulating members, abutting against a plurality of ends of said optical device, for regulating a position of each of the ends in respective optical axis directions, thereby controlling an inclination position of said optical device; and driving means for driving said optical device in order to have said optical device abut against said plurality of regulating members; wherein said plurality of regulating members comprise a plurality of regulating surfaces which abut against respective ends to regulate a position of the ends, an inclination position of said optical device is determined by changing a combination of an end of said optical device and a regulating surface being abutted thereto, thereby controlling said optical device in a plurality of inclination angles, and a number of regulating surfaces provided in one end of the plurality of ends of said optical device is different from that provided in the other end of said optical device.
According to the optical apparatus having the above construction, a plurality of regulating members for regulating a shifting position with respect to an optical-axis direction are formed on both ends of an optical device provided for shifting the position of incident light on an image sensing surface, and the optical device is positioned to abut against each of the regulating portions, making it possible to control the inclination of the optical device in a plurality of directions. By virtue of this configuration, pixel-shifting operation with extremely precise positioning is realized by a simple structure in which the optical device abuts against the regulating portions.
Furthermore, the inclination of optical device can be controlled in a plurality of angles by changing the combination of the regulating surfaces to which the end portions of the optical device is abutted. Therefore, pixel-shifting operation can be performed with an extremely simple structure, at high speed and high precision.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device is constructed such that a shift range with respect to the optical axis direction at one end of said optical device is different from a shift range with respect to the optical axis direction at the other end of said optical device, and a number of regulating surfaces of a second regulating member having a large shift range is set larger than a number of regulating surfaces of a first regulating member having a small shift range.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the second regulating member having a large shift range has at least three regulating surfaces, so that an inclination angle of said optical device can be equally divided between a maximum inclination position and a minimum inclination position.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the first regulating member having a small shift range has a pair of first and second position regulating surfaces formed in different positions along the optical axis, while sandwiching one end of said optical device, said first and second position regulating surfaces controlling an inclination position of said optical device in two steps, and the second regulating member having a large shift range has a pair of third and fourth position regulating surfaces formed in different positions along the optical axis, while sandwiching the other end of said optical device, and a fifth position regulating surface formed between the third and fourth position regulating surfaces, said third, fourth and fifth position regulating surfaces controlling an inclination position of said optical device in three steps, thereby enabling said plurality of regulating members to control an inclination position of said optical device in six steps in total.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a ratio of a shift range of the first regulating member having a small shift range to a shift range of the second regulating member having a large shift range has 1:4 relationship.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device is a plane parallel plate oriented in horizontal direction for performing pixel-shifting in horizontal direction of the image sensing surface.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device is a plane parallel plate oriented in vertical direction for performing pixel-shifting in vertical direction of the image sensing surface.
The above-described problem can also be solved by an optical apparatus comprising: an optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon an image sensing surface; a regulating member for controlling an inclination position of said optical device by abutting against an end of said optical device and regulating a position of the end in an optical axis direction; and shifting means for shifting said optical device in order to have said optical device abut against the regulating member, wherein said shifting means comprises: first driving means for reciprocally driving an end of said optical device in the optical axis direction; and second driving means for driving the other end of said optical device in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis direction, and said regulating member comprises: a first position regulating surface for regulating a shift position of the end of said optical device by abutting against the end, when the end is driven by said first driving means in the optical axis direction; and a second position regulating surface for regulating a position of the end of said optical device with respect to the optical direction by abutting against the end, when the end is driven by said second driving means in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said regulating member has a recess into which an end of said optical device can be inserted with a play, said first position regulating surface being formed on an inner surface of the recess and said second position regulating surface being formed on a bottom surface of the recess.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said second position regulating surface is a recess groove which regulates shifting the end of said optical device in the optical axis direction by latching the end of said optical device.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said regulating member is provided at both end sides of said optical device, and a shift range at one end side of said optical device with respect to the optical axis direction is different from a shift range at the other end side of said optical device with respect to the optical axis direction.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a pair of said first position regulating surface is formed in two positions having different optical axis directions, while sandwiching an end of said optical device; said second position regulating surface is formed between the pair of first position regulating surfaces provided in two positions; and an inclination position of said optical device can be controlled in three steps by determining a regulating surface to which the end of said optical device abuts.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said regulating member comprises: a regulating surface formed at one end of said optical device; and a pair of said first regulating surfaces, formed at the other end of said optical device, and formed at two different positions having different optical axis directions at the other end, wherein said regulating member can set an inclination position of said optical device in two steps, enabling these regulating surfaces to control an inclination position of said optical device in six steps.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the shift range of said optical device with respect to the optical axis direction at one end side and the shift range of said optical device with respect to the optical axis direction at the other end side are set at 1:4 relationship.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device is a plane parallel plate provided on an optical path of the image sensing means, and shifts an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface by utilizing said regulating member to control an inclination angle of said plane parallel plate with respect to the optical axis.
According to an aspect of the present invention, both ends of said optical device respectively include engaging portions, each of which contacts the respective position regulating surfaces by a line or point. The engaging portion abuts against the regulating surface.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the engaging portion is a cylindrical member linearly contacting the regulating surface.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said driving means comprises a plurality of electromagnets provided for each of the regulating surfaces, and an inclination position of said optical device is changed by controlling turning on/off each of the electromagnets and determining a regulating surface to which said optical device abuts.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device comprises: a vertical optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface in the vertical direction on the image sensing surface; and a horizontal optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface in the horizontal direction on the image sensing surface.
The above-described problem can also be solved by an optical apparatus comprising: a horizontally shifting optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon an image sensing surface in horizontal direction of the image sensing surface; a vertically shifting optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon an image sensing surface in vertical direction of the image sensing surface; a plurality of regulating members, abutting against each of a plurality of ends of said horizontally shifting optical device and vertically shifting optical device, for regulating a position of each of the ends in respective optical axis directions, thereby controlling an inclination position of said optical device; and driving means for driving said horizontally shifting optical device and said vertically shifting optical device so that said horizontally shifting optical device and vertically shifting optical device abut against said plurality of regulating members, wherein said plurality of regulating members regulate an inclination position of said horizontally shifting optical device in six steps in the horizontal direction, and regulate an inclination position of said vertically shifting optical device in three steps in the vertical direction.
According to the optical apparatus having the above construction, by having a simple positioning mechanism where the optical device is merely abutted against regulating surfaces which regulate inclination positions of the optical device in the optical-axis direction, it is possible to attain various inclination positions, obtain a high-quality image, and change direction and distance of pixel-shifting in various manner.
According to an aspect of the present invention, by changing an inclination of each of said optical devices, said regulating members shift an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface at ⅔ pixel pitch, 1 pixel pitch being equivalent to a pixel pitch of the image sensing surface.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the optical apparatus further comprises: image sensing means for photoelectrically converting an image formed on the image sensing surface into an image signal; a memory for storing image signals, obtained when the image signal outputted by said image sensing means is sensed at each of eighteen steps of regulated pixel shifting positions determined by a combination of the six steps of regulated inclination positions of said optical device with respect to the horizontal direction and the three steps of regulated inclination positions of said optical device with respect to the vertical direction; and control means for combining respective image signals stored in said memory and outputting a high-quality image signal.
According to an aspect of the present invention, each of said horizontally shifting optical device and said vertically shifting optical device is a plane parallel plate provided on an optical path of the image sensing means, and shifts an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface by utilizing said regulating member to control an inclination angle of said plane parallel plate with respect to the optical axis.
According to an aspect of the present invention, both ends of each of said horizontally shifting optical device and vertically shifting optical device, abutting against the plurality of regulating members, respectively include engaging portions respectively contacting the plurality of regulating members by a line or point.
According to an aspect of the present invention, each of said plurality of regulating members comprises a plurality of regulating surfaces; said driving means comprises a plurality of electromagnets provided for each of the plurality of regulating members; and an inclination position of said optical device is changed by controlling turning on/off each of the electromagnets and determining a regulating surface to which said optical device abuts.
In order to attain the above problems, the present invention provides an optical apparatus comprising: an optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon an image sensing surface; a plurality of regulating members, abutting against said optical device, for regulating a position with respect to the optical axis direction, thereby controlling an inclination position of said optical device with respect to an optical axis direction; and driving means for driving said optical device to regulate said optical device at a position of said regulating members, said plurality of regulating members comprising: first and second regulating members for positioning said optical device by engaging with said optical device in the optical axis direction; and a third regulating member, situated between the first and second regulating members, for positioning said optical device by engaging with said optical device in a direction substantially perpendicular to said optical axis direction, wherein said optical device is regulated in the optical axis direction at least in three inclination positions.
According to the optical apparatus having the above construction, an engaging portion which contacts with the regulating surfaces by point or line is provided on both ends of the optical device abutting against the regulating surfaces. By virtue of this, even if the engaging position on the regulating surface within the engaging portion of the optical device changes, causing position deviation on the plane parallel to the image sensing surface, the inclination angle of the plate can be kept constant. As a result, the amount of pixel-shifting is kept uninfluenced.
Moreover, driving means is constructed by a plurality of electromagnets which drive the plate forward or backward with respect to the optical-axis direction, and the regulating surface against which the optical device abuts is changed by controlling the turning ON/OFF the electromagnets. By virtue of this, pixel-shifting is realized at high speed and high precision with a simple structure.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the third regulating member equally divides an inclination angle of said optical device, between an inclination position formed by the first regulating member and an inclination position formed by the second regulating member.
According to an aspect of the present invention, each of said plurality of regulating members has a recess into which an end of said optical device is inserted with a play, and the first and second regulating members are formed on an inner surface of the recess, and the third regulating member is formed on a bottom surface of the recess.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said driving means comprises an electromagnet provided for each of the regulating members, and an armature, serving as a magnetic engaging portion which can be pulled by the electromagnet, is provided in the optical device side.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical apparatus is incorporated as a unit.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device is a plane parallel plate provided on an optical path of the image sensing means, and shifts an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface by utilizing said regulating member to control an inclination angle of said plane parallel plate with respect to the optical axis.
According to an aspect of the present invention, both ends of said optical device respectively include engaging portions each contacting the regulating surface by a line or point. The engaging portion abuts against the regulating surface.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said driving means comprises a plurality of electromagnets provided for each of the regulating surfaces, and an inclination position of said optical device is changed by controlling turning on/off each of the electromagnets and determining a regulating surface to which said optical device abuts.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said driving means comprises an electromagnet provided for each of the regulating members, and an armature, serving as a magnetic engaging portion which can be pulled by the electromagnet, is provided in the optical device side.
Using electromagnets to shift the optical device consumes a large amount of current. Therefore, the present invention proposes an optical apparatus which consumes a small amount of current. For this purpose, the present invention provides an optical apparatus comprising: image sensing means for photoelectrically converting an optical image formed on an image sensing surface and outputting a sensed image signal; an optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface; a plurality of regulating members, provided on both ends of said optical device opposite to each other, for regulating a position of each of the ends in an optical axis direction, thereby controlling an inclination angle of said optical device in a first direction with respect to an optical axis of said optical device and an inclination angle of said optical device in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction; a plurality of electromagnetic driving means for driving said optical device to have said optical device abut against said plurality of regulating members; and control means for shifting in vertical direction of the image sensing surface an incident position of light by operating said electromagnetic driving means to change an inclination angle of said optical device with respect to the first direction, and shifting in horizontal direction of the image sensing surface an incident position of light by operating said electromagnetic driving means to change an inclination angle of said optical device with respect to the second direction, wherein said control means controls said electromagnetic driving means such that said electromagnetic means generates one magnetic circuit in each of the ends of said optical device, and that regulating surfaces to which the ends abut respectively are determined by the magnetic circuit.
By virtue of forming only one magnetic circuit at each end of the optical device, magnetic lines of force do not cancel each other at each end, achieving operation efficiency. Thus, electrical consumption is reduced.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device is a plane parallel plate provided on an optical path of the image sensing means, and shifts an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface by utilizing said regulating member to control an inclination angle of said plane parallel plate with respect to the optical axis.
According to an aspect of the present invention, regulating surfaces for each end of said optical device are formed at back and forth positions in the optical axis direction with respect to the end of said optical device, and said optical device is controlled in a plurality of inclination angles by changing combinations of the regulating surfaces to which the ends of said optical device abut.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a shift range with respect to the optical axis direction at one end of said optical device and a shift range with respect to the optical axis direction at the other end of said optical device have 1:1 relationship so that the inclination angle of said optical device can be equally divided between a maximum inclination position and a minimum inclination position.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the both ends of said optical device, abutting against the regulating surfaces, respectively include engaging portions each contacting a regulating surface by a line or point.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said electromagnetic driving means comprises a plurality of electromagnets provided for each of the regulating surfaces, and an inclination position of said optical device is changed by controlling turning on/off each of the electromagnets and selecting a regulating surface to which said optical device abuts.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a plurality of said electromagnets are provided respectively in the positions having different optical axis directions at each of the ends of said optical device, and two of the electromagnets are turned on to generate one magnetic circuit at each shift position of said optical device.
According to an aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of electromagnets comprises an electromagnetic coil and an electromagnetic yoke, and only one end of the electromagnetic yoke for an electromagnet is situated opposite to an end of said optical device.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a predetermined current direction supplied to two simultaneously-turned-on electromagnets of said plurality of electromagnets situated opposite to one end of said optical device, is controlled such that an end of one electromagnetic yoke becomes south pole and an end of the other electromagnetic yoke becomes north pole, thereby forming one magnetic circuit by both electromagnets.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device comprises: a vertically shifting optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface mainly in the vertical direction of the image sensing surface; and a horizontally shifting optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface mainly in the horizontal direction of the image sensing surface, wherein said vertically shifting optical device has one to three horizontal inclination positions for a predetermined vertical inclination position, and said horizontally shifting optical device has one to three vertical inclination positions for a predetermined horizontal inclination position.
According to an aspect of the present invention, said optical device comprises: a vertically shifting optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface mainly in the vertical direction of the image sensing surface; and a horizontally shifting optical device for shifting an incident position of light incident upon the image sensing surface mainly in the horizontal direction of the image sensing surface, wherein said vertically shifting optical device has one to three horizontal inclination positions for a predetermined vertical inclination position, and said horizontally shifting optical device has one to three vertical inclination positions for a predetermined horizontal inclination position.
Other objects and advantages besides those discussed above shall be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which follows. In the description, reference is made to accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and which illustrate an example of the invention. Such example, however, is not exhaustive of the various embodiments of the invention, and therefore reference is made to the claims which follows the description for determining the scope of the invention.